OPINION: Keep power in the hands of Alaska voters

When Alaskans voted in 2020 to reform our elections system, we were responding to frustration. The status quo was failing us. Nonpartisan candidates faced an uphill battle to get on the ballot — despite there being more registered nonpartisan voters in Alaska than Republicans and Democrats combined.

Politics were gridlocked. In the state Legislature, the House took a month in 2019 just to pick a speaker. If they can’t even organize themselves, we wondered, how can they possibly solve problems like outmigration, homelessness and crushing energy costs?

One of the obstacles was the narrow path to reelection. As one observer describes it, legislators had to pass through “the eye of the needle,” meeting ideological purity tests to survive a closed party primary.

Alaskans were crammed into boxes that didn’t fit us — voters and elected officials alike. If there were three people on the ballot, we often had to choose the lesser of two evils, because voting for a long-shot candidate meant “throwing away” our vote.

Most Alaskans are not registered with a party — I’m among the 63% who are nonpartisan or independent. Most of us share similar broad hopes and practical needs: We want plowed streets, good schools and homes we can afford. Off the internet, we get along with our neighbors. We share fish and recipes. We don’t ask, “What party do you belong to?” when we shovel each other out.

We want the freedom to choose candidates who get things done. We don’t want or need a system that heightens division, hardens lines and punishes compromise. As our challenges grow — climate impacts, rising homelessness, failing infrastructure — we need all hands on deck to solve problems. These problems aren’t partisan, and the solutions aren’t either.

Alaskans have always been innovators. We face unique conditions in the far north, and we devise unique solutions. In 2020, we adopted an election system that better matched the needs of Alaskans. Open primaries simplify voting, level the playing field for all candidates and give equal access to all voters. Everyone gets the same ballot, you pick your favorite, and the top four candidates advance to the general election.

In the general election, ranking ensures the candidate with the most support wins. It’s an efficient way to hold a runoff; it costs a whole lot less and shortens the time we’re bombarded with election ads. In fact, multiple states (mostly Republican-leaning) use ranked ballots for overseas military voters to ensure their preferences are included in the event of a runoff.

But it isn’t just about how we vote — Alaska’s election system changes the incentives for elected officials. Instead of rewarding politicians for stoking conflict and division, the system rewards leaders who work to solve problems.

It’s already getting us results.

In the most recent Legislature — the first elected under the new system — the Alaska House organized almost immediately (and with a Republican majority) for the first time in several cycles. They passed a budget on time. They passed major energy legislation to address longstanding problems on the Railbelt and make it easier for the most affordable energy to get to consumers. They updated the Alaska Performance Scholarship so more Alaskans will be able to afford college and training, and are incentivized to stay in state. And they did it all without costly special sessions.

There are still challenges, to be sure, and I for one have been vocal about our failings in K-12 funding. But if there is one vote that matters in November, it’s Ballot Measure 2, which would take us back to a system that incentivizes gridlock and polarization.

I encourage you to vote no on Ballot Measure 2 to protect elections that give voters power over parties and not the other way around.

Rebecca Braun is a longtime Alaskan who has worked as a journalist and policy advisor. She lives in Juneau.

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